Nicknamed “Conviction” Gina Carano is one of the better known female MMA fighters. She currently holds a Win-Loss-Draw record of 7-1-0. Her wins include three (T)KOs at 42.86%, one submission at 14.29% and three decisions at 42.86%. Associated with Team Jackson, Gina Carano weighs 145lbs (66kg). She hails from the city of Las Vegas in the United States and her martial arts style of choice is kickboxing.
Born on April 16, 1982 in Dallas, Texas, Gina Carano is a specialist in Muay Thai who began fighting at the famous Las Vegas-based Master Toddy Gym. Gina is the daughter to Glenn Carano and Dana Carson. Outstanding athleticism seems to be in her genes, as demonstrated by the fact that her father was the backup quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1977-83, and began a season for the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers.
Before making her foray into fighting, Gina graduated from Trinity High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. While a student there, she helped to lead her high school basketball team to a state championship. Carano also played volleyball and softball while in high school. Thereafter, she joined the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where she studied psychology for 3 years.
Gina began her career in the sport of Muay Thai. In terms of her fighting style, Gina’s obvious preference is to stand up and strike her adversaries, while employing skills derived from her background in Muay Thai kickboxing. Her striking style is emphasized by her use of the clinch, punches, elbows, knees and kicks. Moreover, Gina is simply an outstanding athlete who takes advantage of her strength and athleticism to beat her opponents. And to top it all, Gina always hits hard.
Popularly referred to as the “Face of Women’s MMA”, Carano was formerly ranked third in 145-pound female fighters in the world by the Unified Women’s MMA Rankings. Gina Carano is a fighter of many firsts. For instance, in February, 2007, she along with Julie Kedzie battled it out on the Showtime Network, becoming the first ever two females to appear in a MMA or boxing match on this network. Gina’s skills led to her to get a role in the Oxygen reality TV show series “Fight Girls”. In Fight Girls, Gina acted as a mentor to aspiring female kick boxers. On the TV show American Gladiators, Gina is known as “Crush”.
Gina also fought in the first ever sanctioned female MMA bout in Nevada, where she defeated her opponent Rosie Sexton by TKO. On June 10, 2006, after defeating Leticia Pestova by a first round knockout, Gina was able to make the transition over to MMA. On December 8, 2006, Gina faced Elaina Maxwell in a match which she won via unanimous decision. She won her first Muay Thai bout when she defeated Maxwell for the second time. This fight also happened to be the first female fight in Strikeforce. Her ground skills have improved to the point that she was able to beat Tonya Evinger by rear naked choke in September, 2007. Gina is also recognized for her solid takedown defense.
Even with female MMA being relatively a novelty, Gina was able to become the most popular female mixed martial arts fighter in America. Gina competed internationally on numerous occasions while under Master Toddy, garnishing a 12-1-1 professional Muay Thai record. Her skills in striking have so far surpassed every opposing MMA fighter who has challenged her. Gina is currently training under Team Jackson, which has increasingly sharpened her skills in standup and submission/ ground game, while improving her takedown defense. Presently, Gina continues to fight, act in movies, on TV shows, and participate in photo shoots and various endorsements.
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